Muffy's Christmas
by Juxapose4ever
Summary: A Fanfic Written on December 2006. Muffy works hard to buy her boyfriend the perfect gift for Christmas.


**Harvest Moon: Muffy's Christmas**

**Winter 10**

"It's cold." says Muffy as she looks outside the window. The snow is starting to fall, and the villagers are getting out their decorations. Before she knew it, Christmas time had already arrived.

"Muffy. It's getting late. Why don't you go to sleep now. I'll finish up here."

Muffy was washing the dishes when Griffin told her to go to bed. Even though Muffy was used to staying up late, 12:00 am was a bit too late, even for her. Griffin usually stays up way later than Muffy ever can. Muffy took Griffin on his offer, and went to her room.

She changed to her night gown, and got ready for bed. A picture of a young farmer was on her table. This is Jack, a farmer that has recently moved into Forget-Me-Not Valley last Spring. Ever since Muffy and Jack met, they've been going out since.

Before Muffy goes to bed, she sat at her table, and stared at Jack's picture for a while. She's been doing this recently every night. She never told him, bu she is deeply in love with him.

"*Sigh* It's been a while since we started going out Jack. Now Christmas time has come, and I need to start thinking about what to do for Christmas. Something to show you how much I love you."

Muffy is only speaking to the picture. She knows that Jack cannot hear her, but this is the only way she knows how to express her feelings. For the last 5 years, the only thing she did for Christmas, was give Griffin a present, but Griffin was more like family. She knows that in order to impress Jack, she needs to find something special.

**Winter 13**

Today, Muffy spent the afternoon looking around the Valley. While she was out, Van had already set up shop in the valley, close to Jack's farm.

"Good afternoon Muffy! It's going to be a cold day today!"

"Hi Van! Yes, it's going to be cold tonight too. The bar may be a bit slow today."

"Why don't you come over here and take a look at what I have for sale! You might find something interesting."

Muffy took a glance at the items for sale. Van had stocked up on a lot of new items. She looked around, but saw nothing interesting. Except a particular looking pendant that was shining brightly.

"Hey Van, what's that?"

"My, my. You do have an eye for quality. This is called the "Pendent of Truth". It is made out of rare metal that is supposed to be blessed. Rumor has it that if you give this special item to a man you like, he will tell you how he feels about you. The design is especially suited for men, so it makes an excellent gift!"

"Wow! That sounds perfect! How much is it?"

"Well, since this special rare item, I cannot let it go for under 6,500g."

Muffy was disappointed, she knew that she did not have enough money.

"Can you do me a favor? Can you hold that item for me? I don't have enough now, But I can get it very soon."

"Sure thing. Not many people can afford it anyway, so I think it's in safe hands."

Muffy rushed home, and counted her savings. She only had 2,000g in her little box she keeps under her bed.

"Just as I thought, nowhere near enough."

That night, Muffy went to work at the bar like she does every night. Like she expected, it was very slow. Not many people come to the bar during Winter nights. Griffin is a patient man, so he doesn't mind slow days. But Muffy gets bored quite easily.

"Muffy, Is everything OK?"

"Of course Griffin. Why do you ask?"

"You seem lost in thought about something. Like if there was something on your mind."

"It's nothing really."

"Well, The bar is pretty slow today. Why don't you take the rest of the night off."

"Are you sure that's OK?"

"Have a good rest Muffy."

Muffy went to her room, and changed to her night gown for bed. Once again, she sat down at her table, and stared at Jack's picture for a few minutes.

"*Sigh* I really want to buy that pendent for you Jack. I really want to know how you feel about me. But, I don't have enough money. It's not that Griffin doesn't pay me enough, but I am living in his home for free. He really doesn't have to pay me at all, but he does anyway. I wish there was something I could do.  
Maybe I should get another job? But where else would I work here in the valley? I could work for you and make a little money, but I don't know anything about farming. I'd just get in the way. But there isn't anywhere else in the valley where I can work. . .  
How about if I found a temporary job outside of the Valley? Hmmm. . . The only place I know is Mineral Town, but that's too far to commute. Should I leave the Valley for a while, and stay at Mineral town?" Muffy stood up, and came to a decision, "OK. I will go to Mineral Town tomorrow, and get a job!"

**Winter 14**  
That morning, Griffin was already awake, and was cleaning out some glasses. Muffy felt a bit nervous about asking Griffin for big favors, but she knows she has to do it.

"Good morning Muffy! I'll take care of the morning preparations again, so you can take a walk, and get some air. . . Is anything wrong?"

"Uhh, Griffin? I need to ask a favor."

"What is it?"

"Can I take a few days off? I know it's sudden, but there is something that I must do somewhere else."

"How long will you be out?"

"A little bit over a week."

"Will you be back in time for Christmas Eve."

"Of course. I wouldn't make you do the Christmas party all by yourself."

"Well, the winters are pretty slow. . . OK, go ahead, and do whatever you have to."

"Thank you Griffin! You're the best!"

Muffy ran back to her room, and packed enough clothing for a few days. Before she knew it, she was all ready to go. She said her goodbyes to Griffin and Jack, and started to walk to Mineral town.

A few hours later, Muffy finally found the sign that says, "Welcome to Mineral Town!" She was relieved that she finally made it. Muffy has never been to Mineral Town before, so she doesn't know where to begin searching for a job.

Since it's Winter, naturally, the streets are a bit deserted, so asking for directions was not an option. All she could do is walk around, and find something herself. She eventually found herself in the Mineral town square. She found a bulletin board near a corner of the square.

Muffy was reading the notices on the board, and found something that caught her eye. A job posting that says:

***WANTED!***

_Need extra help at the Mineral town Restaurant and Inn. Applicants must be able to work the night shift. Decent pay, and friendly environment. If interested, please see Doug at the Mineral Town Restaurant and Inn."_

Muffy was so excited, that she ripped the flyer off the bulletin board, and ran off. She forgot that she doesn't know her way around Mineral Town, so she got lost. After a few hours, she finally arrived at the place.

Muffy Took a deep breath, and slowly walked in. Currently, the place was empty. Lunch must have ended hours ago, and they must be preparing for dinner. Muffy went to the main desk, and rang the bell."

"Coming!" Said a middle aged man's voice. Soon a man with orange hair and mustache cam out of the back. "Hello there, can I help you?"

"Hello, are you Doug?"

"Yes I am. The best cook in town. Would you like to order something?"

"Actually, I came for the job." Muffy shows him the flyer she stole from the square.

"I've never seen you before. You just recently moved here?"

"No, I live at Forget-Me-Not Valley."

"Ah, The Valley. I heard about that place. My daughter goes over there sometimes to take cooking lessons. But why are you looking for a job here?"

"I really need a job. You see, I want to buy something for a very special person this Christmas."

"It's a very far walk, you think you can get here every day?"

"Well, since this is an Inn, I was hoping I could stay here until I finish the job."

"That sounds like an idea. And since you'll be working here, I'll even give you a discount on the room."

"You mean you'll hire me?"

"Of course! Everyone in Mineral Town already has a job, so finding help is a drag. Welcome to my Inn. What's your name?"

"Muffy. My name is Muffy."

"That's such an interesting name!" Doug rang the bell a few times. "Ann!! Come here for a minute!"

A girl with overalls, and orange hair came down. "Yes dad?"

"This woman will be working with us for a while. Introduce yourself."

Ann took a good look at Muffy, and said, "Wow! You're so pretty! Long blond hair, green eyes, a full figure. You're going to be very popular around here! My name is Ann, what's up?"

"Thanks for the compliment. My name is Muffy, it's so nice to meet a cheerful young girl."

"Ann, Please take her to one of the empty rooms. . . . I hope you don't mind if you started working tonight Muffy."

"It's OK. But I am a little tired from the long day, so I need to take a nap."

"That's fine. Ann will take your dinner to you later."

Ann escorted Muffy to a room. She opened the door, and let Muffy in. Muffy looked at her room with joy. The room was a lot bigger than her room in the valley, and it had a nice view from the window.

"This is our special guest room. Since you will be working with us, we'll let you use it."

"Is that OK?"

"Of course! Please rest well, cause dinner will be served in 2 hours."

Muffy opened up her luggage that she was carrying the whole time. She looked at her belongings, she need to decide what she wanted to wear to her first night at the job.

"OK, I always wear red when I'm working at the valley. But now I am in Mineral town, so maybe I should wear something different."

Muffy chose to wear her blue dress, white shoes, and a blue hair band to the job. After she put her dress to the side, she took a nap. Before she knew it, Ann had already came back with dinner.

After Dinner, it was almost time to start working. She put on her blue dress, and applied make up. She needs to be perfect for her first night on the job.

Soon, the first few customers came in. An old man named Saibara, the vineyard owner Duke, and the mayor of Mineral Town Thomas. They sat down together, and started to make some noise.

"Ann! We're hungry! Come over here, and take our order!" yelled Saibara. He's always rude, and loud.

"Hold your horses old man, someone will be there in a second!"

"Someone else? You mean your dad is going to come out of the kitchen and play waitress for us?" The three men laughed. Before they finished laughing, Muffy approached them.

"Good evening gentlemen. Can I take your order?" They were speechless. They just looked at Muffy with surprised faces. "Is anything wrong?"

"Nothing. . ." says the mayor. "You're new to this town?"

"No, I'm only here for a little while."

The other two guys were still speechless. Muffy's long blond hair, and green eyes caught them by surprise. The only thing they could to is stare for a while. Afterwards, they all ordered their meal, and a generous helping of alcohol.

Soon, more people started coming in. Everyone who sees Muffy was already locked by her amazing beauty and figure. Not one person left the restaurant until closing time at 12:00 am.

**Winter 15**

Muffy was tired, but still hanging in. After cleaning out all the tables, she went to the kitchen where she saw Ann washing dishes.

"Can I help you with that?" asked Muffy.

"You don't have to. Your job ended when the restaurant closed."

"But I want to help out. It was so busy today, and I know you have a lot of work by yourself."

"Well, if you insist. Can you dry those dishes over there?"

Muffy went ahead, and dried the dishes Ann cleaned. They were done by 2:00 AM.

"So, how did I do?"

"You werw amazing. You brought so much business on the first day!"

"How so?"

"Well, normally, the guys would just eat one plate of meal and a beer, and leave in 30 minutes. However tonight, the guys stayed all night!"

"And you think it's because of me?"

"I'm sure of it. Looks like things will get busier tomorrow."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

Just as she promised, things got very busy since then. Looks like the whole town was at the restaurant. Men of all ages cad come to flirt with Muffy, and all the women came to keep an eye on their husbands or boyfriends.

**Winter 23**

It's 12:00 AM. Another hectic evening has passed, and the restaurant is closed for the day. Muffy and Ann were washing dishes together in the back, while Doug was cleaning out the tables.

During the last few days, things were pretty rough. Villagers were coming in at 7:00 PM every night, and staying all the way until midnight. Zack, the town's shipper even asked her out once. Muffy kindly explained that she was in a relationship already.

"Hey Muffy."

"Yes Ann?"

"You have to go back home later, right?"

"Yeah. There is something that I have to get back in Forget-Me-Not Valley."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you decide to come to Mineral Town anyway?"

"Well, I came here looking for a job. You see, I met someone special to me, and this is going to be the first Christmas we spend together. I really want to show him how I feel with a very special gift. I couldnt afford it with my normal job though."

"Wow, you are so devoted to him!"

"So Ann, do you have a special someone in mind?"

"Yeah, I sort of do. We are not going out, but I do like him. His name is Cliff, he works at the vineyard. At first, I thought he was just a traveler who wont be here for too long, but it's been 3 years since he moved in. We don't talk too often, but I know that he is a nice guy. He's charming, and quite handsome. He's also hard working, and very responsible."

"Have you told him how you feel?"

"No. Every time get close to him, I get really nervous."

"Me too. Even though we've been going out for a while, I haven't told him how I feel. I love him, and I will do it on Christmas day."

"You know what? I will to! I'll tell him on Christmas day, and we'll see what happens."

"I'm so glad!"

"Lets make a promise Muffy! On Christmas day, we will tell our special guy how we feel!"

"It's a promise then."

After they were done cleaning, Muffy went back to her room, and fell asleep. After she woke up, she packed her bags, and went outside. Doug and Ann were waiting for her outside.

"Hello Muffy." Said Doug. "You are going back home today right?"

"Yes I am."

"I do wish you could stay in Mineral town. But you have someone waiting for you."

"Sorry. I had a good time while I was here, but my place is in the valley."

"I understand. All I can do then is say goodbye."

"Doug, Thank you for allowing me to work here."

"It was great having you here. Let me give you your pay. . . . Well, goodbye Muffy. Please come by and visit us sometime!"

"I will!"

"Muffy! Don't forget your promise!"

"I'll definitely remember!"

After a few more emotional goodbyes, Muffy heads out of Mineral town. On the way home, she counts her money. She was paid far more than enough to buy the gift. She was so excited, that she ran home as fast as she could. She wanted to buy the gift as soon as possible. However, there was one problem.

"What!! You sold it!"

"I'm sorry Muffy. . ."

"How could you? You promised that you'd hold it for me?"

"I tried, but a farmer in Mineral Town offered me 100,000g for it. I couldn't say no. I'm a business man after all."

"Don't you have anything else for sale?"

"Not really. I ran out of gifts during the past week. I do have lots of bodigizer and turbojolts if you're interested."

Muffy became depressed. All that work she did, and she still ended up with nothing to give Jack. All she did was run home, and cried herself to sleep."

**Winter 24 (Christmas Eve)**

During the day, Muffy had to help Griffin Cook the Christmas dinner for tonight. While she was cooking, Griffin noticed all the sighs that came from Muffy.

"You OK Muffy?"

"I just don't get it. I worked so hard to make the money I needed to buy Jack the perfect gift. But I still ended up empty handed."

"I see. You know, I could have lent you the money."

"Thanks, but I wanted to make the money myself."

"I understand. I'm sure if you tell Jack what happened, he'll understand too."

"I'll try."

That night, the party started. Many villagers came to celebrate Christmas. Muffy was very nervous about what he will say to Jack. She knows for a fact that he is coming tonight, but somehow, she wishes that he wouldn't.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!!" Yelled Jack as he stormed in the bar. He was wearing a Santa hat, and carried a huge sack of gifts for the villagers. One by one, Jack was handing out gifts.

"I got a very interesting book!" yelled Nami after receiving a gift.

"Jack gave me this nice broach." said Lumina.

"He game me a new beanie. He said it's to keep myself warm in the Winter. Isn't he so thoughtful?" said Celia.

Everyone in the party were bragging about their gifts. However, Muffy didn't get a gift. Jack just said goodbye to everyone, and left.

**Winter 25 (Christmas morning)**

At midnight, the party ended, and everyone left. Muffy was depressed, Jack came by, and never said a word to her. Muffy was just washing dishes with a sad face.

"Muffy, are you OK?"

"Jack never said a thing to me. . ."

"It's not like him to just leave, and not say hi at least." Muffy stayed silent. "Let me take care of that stuff. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Thanks, but I think I'll just take a walk."

"But it's cold outside."

"I'll be fine."

Muffy headed out to the beach where she stared at the moon. She was cold, but she didn't care.

"Could it be. . . That Jack fell in love with someone else while I was away? It's was a little bit more than a week that I was away. . ." Muffy looked at the ocean. "It's been 5 years, ever since that day he left me. On Christmas morning, I woke up, and I saw was a letter from him. He found someone else to spend his life with, and left me all alone. That's when I moved here. . . To forget all about him. I didn't want to fall in love again, but I cant help it. Maybe I should just leave Forget-Me-Not Valley, and go somewhere far, far away. I'll just forget about falling in love, and live my live alone."

"Muffy!!!" Jack's voice can be heard in the distance. Muffy turned around, and saw Jack run towards her. "Muffy! What are you doing outside in this cold? You should be at the bar."

"Jack. . . ." Muffy tried not to look at him.

"What's wrong? It's been more than a whole week since you were gone, and I thought you'd be happy to see me."

". . . . Jack. . . I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"I couldn't get you anything for Christmas. I tried, but the gift I wanted to get was already sold before I got home. Please forgive me."

Jack started to laugh, "Muffy, I wish you wouldn't talk like that."

"What do you mean?"

"You did get me a gift. You just don't know it."

"I did, what is it?"

"You are my gift!" Muffy looked at Jack with a surprised face. "Ever since you left, I've missed you like crazy. The bar felt like something was missing. So for Christmas, all I ever wanted, was to see your beautiful face."

"Jack. . . ." Muffy then hugged him tightly. Tears of joy started to fall from her emerald green eyes. "Me too. All I wanted was to hear you tell me how you feel. In the end, I didn't need a pendent to hear you say such touching words. I love you Jack, and I want to be with you. I don't care if you have a gift or not. All I want is you!"

"Muffy. What are you talking about. Of course I got you a gift." Jack pulled out a small box out of his rucksack. The box had a blue ribbon tied around it. Muffy untied the ribbon and opened the box, inside laid a blue feather. "Merry Christmas Muffy."

"Jack! This is a blue feather! Are you saying that. . . ."

"Yes I am. So what's your answer? When Spring comes, would you like to be my wife?"

Muffy's happy tears came once again, "Yes, I accept. With all mt heart."

Muffy and Jack then shared their first kiss as an engaged couple. Muffy finally realized that it's not the gift that counts, it's the feelings you give to each other.

**Spring 1 (New years day)**

Muffy and Jack left the Mineral town church after saying their vows. Everyone in Forget-Me-Not Valley and Mineral Town was there to celebrate their wedding. Outside the church, Muffy saw Ann with a young man holding hands. Looks like Ann confessed her feelings like she promised after all. Everyone was so happy that they named this holiday season the most romantic year.

**The end**


End file.
